The Family Skeptical

The Family Skeptical
  • 4.4 (7)
  • PARENTING
  • UPDATED SEMIMONTHLY

We're a married atheist couple raising two wonderful, strange children. We ask big questions, dissect weird parenting moments, and examine how society ignores or misrepresents families like ours. If you're any stripe of non-believer who's involved in raising children, welcome! You are our people.

  1. 21H AGO

    Mental Health Days and Influencer Responsibility

    We start out the episode with a story about Moms' quest for an appropriate insult. Then we talk about how to handle mental health days with the kids. And we finish up discussing what responsibility influencers have to take a stance on current events. Now the links: Our episode, Talking Grief with Betsy Deville  Heavyweight's episode Minneapolis  The Family Skeptical: We're a married atheist couple raising two wonderful, strange children. We ask big questions, dissect weird parenting moments, and examine how society ignores or misrepresents families like ours. If you're any stripe of non-believer who's involved in raising children, welcome! You are our people. Our kids are Reader (12) and Jaeger (9), and if you want to find out how we arrived at these peculiar pseudonyms, go back to Episode 1 and 61. Please reach out to us at momsandpops@thefamilyskeptical.com and tell us everything we got wrong. This content is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org. See a list of our episodes here. Follow us on Instagram @thefamilyskeptical for more weird stories that Moms can't figure out how to fit into episodes.  The Family Skeptical Cover Photo is by Jesse Valvasori Photography  Our theme music is by Jonathan Zalben and First Frame Music  Thanks for listening! If you want to support us, subscribe and tell a friend to check us out.

    44 min

  2. FEB 4

    Talking the Creator Accountability Network with Sarah Tulien

    We begin the episode talking about a change we made to the kids' screen time, and then we speak with Sarah Tulien, Executive Director of the Creator Accountability Network.  I know there are a million places that need our support right now, but think about adding the Creator Accountability Network to your list. Even small donations make a huge difference to newer, growing organizations. CAN represents something we need to see more of in the world right now - efforts to take responsibility and repair harm instead of covering it up or sweeping it under the rug. Here how to connect with CAN: The Creator Accountability Network  Follow CAN on Instagram  The Family Skeptical: We're a married atheist couple raising two wonderful, strange children. We ask big questions, dissect weird parenting moments, and examine how society ignores or misrepresents families like ours. If you're any stripe of non-believer who's involved in raising children, welcome! You are our people. Our kids are Reader (12) and Jaeger (9), and if you want to find out how we arrived at these peculiar pseudonyms, go back to Episode 1 and 61. Please reach out to us at momsandpops@thefamilyskeptical.com and tell us everything we got wrong. This content is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org. See a list of our episodes here. Follow us on Instagram @thefamilyskeptical for more weird stories that Moms can't figure out how to fit into episodes.  The Family Skeptical Cover Photo is by Jesse Valvasori Photography  Our theme music is by Jonathan Zalben and First Frame Music  Thanks for listening! If you want to support us, subscribe and tell a friend to check us out.

    1h 13m

  3. JAN 7

    The Wicked Of It All

    We start out talking about the kids experiencing their first religious service. Then we delve into Candace Owens' Erika Kirk conspiracies. And we finish up with the discussion about body size that has emerged around the stars of Wicked. How do we want to talk to the kids about body size? How do we think about it in the first place? In the Candace Owens segment, we did a terrible job giving context around some of the people we brought up, so I included links for them. And here they are: Candace Owens  Alisa Childers  Frank Turek  Mommastrong  The Burnt Toast Podcast  The Maintenance Phase Podcast  The Family Skeptical: We're a married atheist couple raising two wonderful, strange children. We ask big questions, dissect weird parenting moments, and examine how society ignores or misrepresents families like ours. If you're any stripe of non-believer who's involved in raising children, welcome! You are our people. Our kids are Reader (12) and Jaeger (9), and if you want to find out how we arrived at these peculiar pseudonyms, go back to Episode 1 and 61. Please reach out to us at momsandpops@thefamilyskeptical.com and tell us everything we got wrong. This content is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org. See a list of our episodes here. Follow us on Instagram @thefamilyskeptical for more weird stories that Moms can't figure out how to fit into episodes.  The Family Skeptical Cover Photo is by Jesse Valvasori Photography  Our theme music is by Jonathan Zalben and First Frame Music  Thanks for listening! If you want to support us, subscribe and tell a friend to check us out.

    56 min

  4. 12/17/2025

    2025 Review (Heads Up - More Santa Talk)

    We start the episode with an announcement from Go, and then we talk about 2025. How do we feel? At sea, I would say. And we finish up with some thoughts from the kids. The Family Skeptical: We're a married atheist couple raising two wonderful, strange children. We ask big questions, dissect weird parenting moments, and examine how society ignores or misrepresents families like ours. If you're any stripe of non-believer who's involved in raising children, welcome! You are our people. Our kids are Reader (12!) and Jaeger (9), and if you want to find out how we arrived at these peculiar pseudonyms, go back to Episode 1 and this one apparently. Please reach out to us at momsandpops@thefamilyskeptical.com and tell us everything we got wrong. This content is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org. See a list of our episodes here. Follow us on Instagram @thefamilyskeptical for more weird stories that Moms can't figure out how to fit into episodes.  The Family Skeptical Cover Photo is by Jesse Valvasori Photography  Our theme music is by Jonathan Zalben and First Frame Music  Thanks for listening! If you want to support us, subscribe and tell a friend to check us out.

    39 min

  5. 11/26/2025

    Talking Atheist Christmas with Betsy DeVille

    It's beginning to look a lot like Atheist Christmas. We start the episode with a story about the Tooth Fairy, and then we talk with Betsy DeVille about her book, Christmas for Atheists, and what to think about when celebrating as a secular family. Listen to the end for some amazing gingerbread house tips.  Now to links: Betsy DeVille (https://www.betsydeville.com/) Betsy DeVille on Etsy  Christmas for Atheists  Christmas Tree Memories by Aliki  Santa Claus and His Elves by Mauri Kunnas (the Korvatunturi book!)  The Family Skeptical: We're a married atheist couple raising two wonderful, strange children. We ask big questions, dissect weird parenting moments, and examine how society ignores or misrepresents families like ours. If you're any stripe of non-believer who's involved in raising children, welcome! You are our people. Our kids are Reader (11) and Go (9), and if you want to find out how we arrived at these peculiar pseudonyms, go back to Episode 1. Please reach out to us at momsandpops@thefamilyskeptical.com and tell us everything we got wrong. This content is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org. See a list of our episodes here. Follow us on Instagram @thefamilyskeptical for more weird stories that Moms can't figure out how to fit into episodes.  The Family Skeptical Cover Photo is by Jesse Valvasori Photography  Our theme music is by Jonathan Zalben and First Frame Music  Thanks for listening! If you want to support us, subscribe and tell a friend to check us out.

    59 min

  6. 11/05/2025

    Forgive Us

    We start out talking about our new Halloween tradition. Then we get into Trump's latest anti-atheist activity and end up talking about him more generally. If you'd rather skip it and ignore his existence for a bit, honestly, I get it. That segment runs from 14:55 - 37:50. Then we talk about forgiveness. Are we forgiving? Does religion help to be forgiving? I think I needed this conversation more than I knew.   Now the links: American Atheists (get on their email lists for news updates)  Thank God I'm An Atheists's Episode: When Faith and Cruelty Collide with the story of the Mormon fundraiser Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' Episode: The Sehlat Who Ate Its Tail (And why is this season getting so much hate? We're really enjoying it.)  The Family Skeptical: We're a married atheist couple raising two wonderful, strange children. We ask big questions, dissect weird parenting moments, and examine how society ignores or misrepresents families like ours. If you're any stripe of non-believer who's involved in raising children, welcome! You are our people. Our kids are Reader (11) and Go (9), and if you want to find out how we arrived at these peculiar pseudonyms, go back to Episode 1. Please reach out to us at momsandpops@thefamilyskeptical.com and tell us everything we got wrong. This content is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org. See a list of our episodes here. Follow us on Instagram @thefamilyskeptical for more weird stories that Moms can't figure out how to fit into episodes.  The Family Skeptical Cover Photo is by Jesse Valvasori Photography  Our theme music is by Jonathan Zalben and First Frame Music  Thanks for listening! If you want to support us, subscribe and tell a friend to check us out.

    1h 3m

  7. 10/15/2025

    Weirdos!

    We begin the episode discussing Alex Jones's epic facial hair fail. Then we discuss Ryan Walters's exit from Oklahoma schools. And we finish up talking about weirdos, and how to think about what to do when your kid is trending weird.  Now the links: Our episode, Battle of the O States  Professor Neil's Video Of Montreal  The Family Skeptical: We're a married atheist couple raising two wonderful, strange children. We ask big questions, dissect weird parenting moments, and examine how society ignores or misrepresents families like ours. If you're any stripe of non-believer who's involved in raising children, welcome! You are our people. Our kids are Reader (11) and Go (9), and if you want to find out how we arrived at these peculiar pseudonyms, go back to Episode 1. Please reach out to us at momsandpops@thefamilyskeptical.com and tell us everything we got wrong. This content is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org. See a list of our episodes here. Follow us on Instagram @thefamilyskeptical for more weird stories that Moms can't figure out how to fit into episodes. The Family Skeptical Cover Photo is by Jesse Valvasori Photography  Our theme music is by Jonathan Zalben and First Frame Music  Thanks for listening! If you want to support us, subscribe and tell a friend to check us out.

    48 min

  8. 09/24/2025

    All. The. Updates.

    This episode became one big family update somehow. We start out discussing our new pronoun situation. Then we get into Moms's current mental health or lack thereof. And we finish off with a discussion about Go's thoughts on death and how we've discussed death more generally. (And if you want to see the picture we discuss at the end, check out our social media.)  Now the links: I Will Die On This Hill: Autistic Adults, Autism Parents, and the Children Who Deserve a Better World  Subculture Vulture  Our episode on the move: I'll Take My Coping Mechanisms From Skepticism Not Religion, Thank You Very Much  Our episode, How To Get Over a Fear of Hell  The Handsome Podcast: Ilana Glazer Asks About God  The Family Skeptical: We're a married atheist couple raising two wonderful, strange children. We ask big questions, dissect weird parenting moments, and examine how society ignores or misrepresents families like ours. If you're any stripe of non-believer who's involved in raising children, welcome! You are our people. Our kids are Reader (11) and Go (9), and if you want to find out how we arrived at these peculiar pseudonyms, go back to Episode 1. Please reach out to us at momsandpops@thefamilyskeptical.com and tell us everything we got wrong. This content is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org. See a list of our episodes here. Follow us on Instagram @thefamilyskeptical for more weird stories that Moms can't figure out how to fit into episodes.  The Family Skeptical Cover Photo is by Jesse Valvasori Photography  Our theme music is by Jonathan Zalben and First Frame Music  Thanks for listening! If you want to support us, subscribe and tell a friend to check us out.

    46 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.4
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

We're a married atheist couple raising two wonderful, strange children. We ask big questions, dissect weird parenting moments, and examine how society ignores or misrepresents families like ours. If you're any stripe of non-believer who's involved in raising children, welcome! You are our people.

Information

  • Creator
    The Family Skeptical
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    65
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2022
  • Show Website
    The Family Skeptical